


Win Some or Learn Some

by insominia



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Mild Angst, Prankster Gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 04:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20352121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insominia/pseuds/insominia
Summary: Sam and his boyfriend Gabriel are in love, happy and living out dreams of domestic bliss. They even have a dog. That said, Gabriel is as committed to pranks as he is to Sam and he's never quite learned when to draw the line. Not even when the love of his life warns him that he's going too far.





	1. A Standard Day in the Life of Sam Winchester

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VegasGranny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VegasGranny/gifts).

> So this year I was thrilled, ecstatic and generally over the moon to take part in the amazing FicFacer$ auction. We raised roughly an amazing $4000 for Random Acts and had a fab time doing it, I'm super proud to have been a part of it. You should definitely check out the other lots and absolutely bid next year ;)
> 
> VegasGranny bid on me and wanted Sabriel fluff feat. corgi and I hope I have delivered! Thank you, you amazing person for your bid and for giving me this opportunity, I really hope you like it :D

Somewhere, on the very edge of what little awareness he had, Sam Winchester knew that something wasn’t quite right. Whatever it was was distant, intangible, something he couldn't quite place and no matter how much he thought about it, it didn't seem to become any clearer. Whatever it was couldn't have been that important then. Certainly, not important enough to draw his attention to the bliss in which he currently lay.

The grass was soft beneath him and when he breathed in the smell of it mingled with wild-flowers and all the scents of summer hanging on the warm air. If he'd opened his eyes he would have been blinded by the sun-streaked sky and so he kept them closed, not quite asleep but hardly awake either. There was an arm around him and he leaned into it, pulling it tighter and letting out a small moan of protest when it eventually tried to pull away.

“C’mon Samsquatch, you gotta lemme go,” Gabriel whispered somewhere near his ear, chuckling when he had to physically wrench his arm from Sam’s grip. Still, Sam didn't open his eyes, it was too nice here. Too warm and pleasant, the light breeze just cool enough to offset the harshness of the sun.

“I’ll see you later.”

His words didn't make sense, though distantly Sam was aware that a weight beside him had left. Despite that, there were kisses. All along the back of Sam’s neck, it tickled, like the long grass in which he lay. A brief caress of wind brought with it a burst of colourful smells; mown grass, lavender and all the wildflowers Sam had always meant to learn but had never gotten around to. With it, Sam registered somewhere within him that it was early spring, not summer, and it hadn’t it been raining for three weeks straight now? He felt the sun emerge from some clouds, beating down on him and how long he lay there he couldn’t say before the tickle returned to his neck. He gave a small smile, leaning back into the touch with a happy sigh. But there was something not quite right about that either, hadn’t Gabriel said he was going somewhere? And why were his kisses so wet? And how come they were in a park or something when the last thing that Sam remembered was complaining about the rain again...right before they’d turned in now he thought about it...

With a yelp, Sam sat bolt upright in bed, his hand already reaching for the back of his neck where Gabriel’s corgi had slobbered all over him. “Goddammit, Loki!” Sam breathed, frowning when his hand came away with an unnecessary amount of dog drool. Loki wasn’t fazed by Sam’s curses and started licking at his face instead, now that he had access to it. “Alright, alright,” Sam huffed, “I’m up, I’m up,” and as if to taunt him further the alarm clock beside the bed started blaring. “Sounds about right,” Sam groaned, slapping his hand in the machine’s general direction and one of the hits must have landed as it stopped screaming at him, abruptly.

Loki took advantage of the turn of his head to jump right back into Sam’s space and start licking at his neck, enthusiastically. With a half-assed gesture at best, Sam tried to push the corgi away before he resigned himself to his fate and dropped back onto the pillows, letting the little dog snuggle up to him, content to stop licking now that he could just lie on the taller human’s chest. Sam let him, raising one hand to pat him behind the ears as he looked over at the space beside him and sighed, “where’s daddy, huh?” he asked, but it was a rhetorical question and he smiled at the memory of kisses behind his ear and a strong arm wrapped around him. Sam might resent having to be up at the crack of dawn for work but Gabriel was gone a couple of hours before that and no matter how many times Sam promised to wake up with him it never happened and Gabriel never pushed it. Sam’s fingertips danced across the side of his neck where Gabriel had kissed him, as though he could capture the feeling again. He couldn’t, but it still made him smile. He lay there for a few moments longer before, with a sigh and an unhappy yelp from Loki, he forced himself to sit up and face the day.

As ever, breakfast was waiting for him. Some would argue it was nothing special, but they would have been unaware of Sam’s love of granola and yoghurt, especially when, yes, the first bite confirmed it – Gabriel had made the granola fresh the night before. Beside him, the coffee machine on the counter clicked into life, filling a cup that Gabriel must have put there before he’d headed out, so Sam could have fresh coffee without having to move anything more than one obscenely long arm. The dishes went into the dishwasher next to last night’s dinner plates and Gabriel’s coffee mug; he usually ate breakfast on the go, no matter how many times Sam nagged him about it. Then there was nothing else to do but shower, dress and head out for work. Or at least, that’s all there should have been to do, but Loki was already scratching at the front door and whining at Sam as though Gabriel hadn’t let him out just a couple of hours earlier. His hand was on the bathroom door handle, but then his eyes fell onto the hamper beside it where Gabriel, knowing full well that Sam was as soft as the dog, had already laid out an old pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

“One block,” Sam said, firmly, changing quickly, “we’ll go around one block and then we’re coming straight back, got it?”

Three blocks later, Loki snuggled into his blanket fort in the garage, having successfully exhausted himself on the pleasant morning run, while Sam peeled off his clothes with ridiculous haste, cursing as he jumped into the shower. He was going to be so late. _Again_. Even so, he checked the body wash carefully before he lathered it up in his palms. He would never be so late that he would run the risk of washing himself in instant tan or worse, pink hair dye. But after assuring himself that there was nothing more sinister than a hint of lime in the soap, all bets were off and Sam was out of the shower less than two minutes after turning it on.

Gabriel had at least put fresh towels out so Sam was mostly dry by the time he stumbled back into the bedroom, only to throw open his closet and find…

Nothing.

“**_Gabriel_!**” he yelled, so loud he wouldn’t be surprised if the man himself heard him, as he automatically started reaching into the empty closet before him, as though his clothes might have somehow materialised in there while he looked. “Dammit!” The closet door slammed harshly and Sam mumbled a, “sorry,” when Loki whined at the outburst. When the hell did Gabriel even have time to hide all of his clothes and how gone was Sam that he hadn’t woken up while he did it?

He didn’t waste time looking for his clothes, there was no need. He stepped into his home office, feeling pretty smug and pulled down his old duffle from on top of one of the cupboards. The Anti-Gabriel duffle. The one that Gabriel barely noticed the existence of; after all, it was just a duffle bag Sam owned and had thrown on top of a cupboard in case he might need it one day. As far as Gabriel was aware, he never had. Amongst other things it contained a full change of clothes and Sam positively beamed, even as he slipped on shoes that had never quite stopped pinching his heel. It was worth a little discomfort to avoid one of Gabriel’s pranks, even if he wasn’t left with enough time to properly rub it in his boyfriend’s face. Still, none of that stopped him cursing those same shoes as he breezed through the front door and into his car.

The law firm that employed Sam Winchester did not own the building from which it operated. Instead, they rented three floors worth of office space from a gorgeous sandstone block in what an ambitious estate agent would describe as ‘the place to be.’ Despite all the delays the morning had thrown at him, Sam still managed to make it on time, even if he had to forego his usual stop along the way. When the firm’s secretary did the mail rounds at nine a.m, Sam was already in his second-floor office without any indication that he had moments before been taking the stairs three at a time. A short exchange of small talk and she was off, leaving Sam to spin in his chair and flip the bird through the window. From here, Sam could see across the street to the bakery directly opposite the building, where he saw Gabriel laughing even as he flipped him off right back, wondering how on earth he managed to find his clothes given that they were all in the back of the cream room.

* * *

The bakery was generally busy all day, but Sam waited until the lunchtime rush had petered off before he headed over for his break. His bosses didn’t mind him going late, in fact, they quite liked that he was willing to cover them while they took their lunch, knowing they didn’t have to rush back. Sam had watched the queues shorten before they disappeared completely before he headed on over, both Alfie and Gabriel bearing the same exhausted expressions that belied how busy they had been just a moment before, even though the place was empty now. Despite the lack of other customers, Sam laughed to see that his regular stool had a ‘reserved’ card on the counter in front of it, right next to a thin vase holding a single red rose. As Sam slipped onto the seat, Gabriel took the rose with a flourish, slipping it between his teeth, “Well hello there gorgeous, see something you like?” he asked, leaning forward until he was crowding Sam’s space.

“Just you,” Sam grinned, leaving a kiss on Gabriel’s nose seeing as his lips were otherwise occupied. For a moment they were happy to just smile at each other, so close Sam could feel Gabriel’s breath on his face, while poor Alfie, Gabriel’s long-suffering assistant put himself somewhere else. _Anywhere else_. With a small sigh that didn’t suit the innocence of the kiss, Gabriel slipped the rose back into the vase and with a swift peck to Sam’s forehead, moved away from the counter to serve his lunch.

“So,” he called, his back to Sam as he prepped whatever it was he was making, “should have known you’d have spare clothes somewhere.”

“Seriously? Have you met you? Of course, I’ve got spare clothes hidden somewhere just like I’ve got a secret stash of toothpaste and shampoo. I’ve also got a spare wallet and my brother’s got a spare key to the house in case I need it.”

Gabriel turned to him, a sandwich in hand and a faux outraged expression on his face. “Samuel Winchester! I am aghast that you don’t trust me!”

“You stole all my clothes this morning.”

Gabriel laughed, “Yeah, yeah I did. You love me though.”

Sam looked at the sandwich, turkey club with extra salad on wholewheat bread, still steaming slightly from the oven, “you bet I do,” he smiled, earning another quick kiss from Gabriel before he moved to help Alfie clean up. “So...” he called over, pausing to smile at the indecent groan Sam let out at the first bite of the sandwich, “we heading home together today, or...” he trailed off, hopefully, his face only falling slightly when he saw that Sam was frowning.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, swallowing down the turkey, “I said I’d help Jess with some paperwork, I’ll be a little later than you.”

Gabriel turned a sunny smile on his boyfriend and Sam felt it warm him to his core. What had he done to be blessed with this guy? “No problem. I’ll save you some dinner...”

“...and put my clothes back?”

Even under the circumstances when Gabriel grinned back at Sam, Sam grinned right back, unable not to, even as he called, “no promises.”

Sam was back at his desk half an hour precisely after he had left it, albeit fed, watered and with lips slightly swollen from the make-out session Gabriel had initiated as he’d made to leave for the office. Alfie had made himself scarce, managing a quick goodbye to Sam as he disappeared into the backroom to start prepping for the following day. Even the pile of paperwork, suspiciously taller than he remembered leaving it, could not dampen Sam’s spirits. He took a moment, but only a moment, to appreciate that he was always happy before his lunch break, knowing that he had half an hour with Gabriel approaching. But, he was always happy coming back, knowing he was going home to him in just a few hours.

Jess poked her head in through the doorway and smiled knowingly at him, “you still want to help?” she asked, waving a slim folder at him. Sam was not deceived, he had been in the game long enough to know the thinner the paper the more complex it would be. Still, he had promised and with a glance out of the window just to catch sight of his boyfriend rotating the window display he gestured to the chair opposite him.

“Let’s do this.”

* * *

After an hour, they had barely made a dent in the first paragraph, but Sam was not deterred. They could do this. A thought which had begun to wane another hour after that when Jess pointed out another discrepancy in a part they’d already looked. Half an hour later, the secretary knocked on the door and silently slipped a tray of cookies and cupcakes onto Sam’s desk with a knowing smile. Sam turned one of the blondies over in his hand and glanced across the road, realising he’d been so caught up in what they were doing the bakery had closed and Gabriel had already gone home for the night. Still, he’d sent over a tray of treats, probably more from Jess’ benefit than Sam’s but he knew Gabriel would want him to keep his blood sugar up. He did tend to get engrossed when he was working.

They took a break, Jess made coffee and the two of them ate way too many cookies, but hey, they deserved it. They both stretched their legs, exchanged generally terrible court stories and were refreshed enough that when they turned their attention to the paper once again it all seemed to flow a little easier. It seemed like no time at all had passed when Jess finally slammed the folder shut with as much force as one could exert upon paper.

“Finally,” Sam breathed, leaning back in his chair, wincing as his back popped after way too long sat at the desk.

Jess leaned her head in her hands, wiping away the exhaustion in her eyes, “Samuel Winchester, you’re a lifesaver and I love you.” She reached over and took another cookie, “tell that man of yours I love him too. Can I marry you both?”

“Gabriel probably wouldn’t say no,” Sam grinned, packing away the few things he needed to take home with him, “he loves weddings.”

“Oooh, any plans to pop the question?” Jess asked with all the presumption their long-term friendship allowed for.

But Sam just shrugged, “not yet,” and rolled his eyes little when Jess crossed her arms at him, “what? Things are great, Jess, I don’t think anything needs to change right now, y’know?”

And as though to prove his point when he stepped into his house later that evening, he walked into a wall of complementary smells as Gabriel cooked something no doubt magnificent, from scratch even though it was Sam’s night to cook. Loki was jumping at his heels the moment the door closed behind him. “Gabe...” Sam sighed, even as he bent down to stroke the corgi, “you said you wouldn’t do this, remember?”

“Do what, Sammich?” Gabriel called, innocently, glancing over from the kitchenette, a pan in his hand, a spatula in the other and still he managed to look like he wasn’t doing anything untoward.

Sam tried to fix him with a stern glare, which was difficult when Gabriel smiled at him like that and it all smelled so good anyway. “Oh this?” he asked, gesturing with the pan, “just a little something, besides, you were working late, I don’t mind.”

Gabriel just grinned at him until Sam rolled his eyes and turned away, shaking his head, ignoring the triumphant scoff from his boyfriend. “I fixed your lunch for tomorrow, too!” Gabriel called and Sam just gave an unconvincing grunt of disapproval. No doubt he had breakfast muffins baking at the same time, probably made of zucchini so that Sam couldn’t complain they were unhealthy. The thought made him smile, a smile which became an indulgent grin when he saw that all his clothes were back where they should have been that morning.

Sam was settled and flicking through their Netflix options when Gabriel brought their dinner in. It smelled amazing and Sam watched as Gabriel put a smaller plate on the floor for Loki, taking the time to smother him in kisses before he could dig in.

“What?” Gabriel asked, moving to sit down but noticing that Sam was just sort of staring at him.

“Nothing,” Sam smiled, leaning up to kiss him, “you’re the best is all.”

“Don’t you forget it, either,” he laughed, sitting down so close to Sam they could have reconsidered having such a large sofa. Sam passed the plates over and flicked the remote to start whatever it was they were binge-watching this week, but as he felt the warmth of Gabriel beside him, he couldn’t help but lean into it and take a moment to appreciate just how wonderful everything was.


	2. A decidedly un-average birthday in the life of Sam Winchester

Loki was an affectionate dog. It wasn’t unusual him to be found nuzzling into either Gabriel or Sam (usually Sam) first thing in the morning. It _was_ unusual for him to let out a series of high, pleading whines that had Sam jolted out of sleep and on his feet in an instant. As soon as his feet had touched the carpet, Loki took off, Sam following, still half asleep, until things started to click into place when Loki started pawing at the front door, a soft whimper escaping him.

He was out of the door like a shot once Sam had opened it and Sam had just enough wherewithal to remember he was only in boxer shorts so probably not best to follow the dog outside. Not unless he wanted to be representing himself for indecent exposure. Instead, he waited just behind the door for Loki to relieve himself and bound back into the house, considerably happier. Gabriel usually let him out as he was getting ready for work a couple of hours before Sam would surface to give him a morning run, but sometimes, if he was running late that kind of thing got forgotten. Wiping his eyes, as though the effort might bring him into consciousness, Sam tried to remember if there had been stolen kisses, maybe they’d cuddled a little too long, but there was nothing. That wasn’t to say it hadn’t happened of course, just that Sam had fallen asleep afterwards, remembering it as a pleasant dream. With Loki licking his feet in thanks, Sam mumbled something that might have resembled words at a more coherent hour and stumbled back to the bedroom, his heart momentarily stopping when he caught sight of his phone blinking with the presence of over a dozen texts. That was never good.

But his heart started beating normally when he read the message that had been sent an hour before by his brother.

>_ Happy Birthday Bitch!_

Oh. Oh yeah.

The case he’d wrapped up the day before had lost him all track of time, but a swift glance at the calendar told him that yes, it was indeed his birthday. And if he doubted it, there were a dozen messages filled with best wishes and, in Castiel’s case, emojis. In the back of his mind, Sam couldn’t help but chuckle at how ‘adult’ everyone seemed to be these days if they could text him ‘happy birthday’ before seven a.m. He scrolled through the list with a frown, nothing from Gabriel. That meant there would be something suitably embarrassing waiting for him when he showed up at work. Last year it had been a six-foot banner in fluorescent glitter, ‘_Happy Birthday Sexy_’ which had at least granted him anonymity from passers-by. Not so much at the office where he had been ribbed, mercilessly.

His phone vibrated once in his hand and he grinned, despite himself, when he saw ‘Gabriel’ flash up on the screen.

> _Overslept, running late and struggling to catch up. Forgot the bag of spare whites, could you drop it in? It’s the bag by the front door._

Grinning, Sam checked; yup there was indeed a bag by the front door. He put his phone down so he could get ready, already bracing himself for whatever madness Gabriel had planned. His smile faltered when he went to make himself some coffee only to find the machine cold and empty. Perhaps Gabriel had been in a rush, after all, probably to set up whatever horrors Sam was going to walk into when he dropped the bag off. Anticipation coiled in the pit of Sam’s stomach even as he rushed to prep himself some coffee. Gabe wouldn’t mention his birthday until he was drowning in confetti and balloons and as much as Sam didn’t appreciate the fuss, he did love his boyfriend’s enthusiasm for occasions.

There was no banner waiting for Sam as he approached the bakery. Although the lights were on before opening there didn’t seem to be anyone out front and the sign was still flipped firmly to closed even though the first regulars were already starting to linger outside the door. Sam tried the door and no one challenged him as he shut it firmly behind him. “Gabe?” he called, somewhere between worried that something was _actually_ wrong and hesitant to walk into a glitter cannon or something similar that would render him entirely inappropriate for work.

“Back here!” Gabriel called out and Sam took a deep breath, bracing himself. He stepped into a wall of warmth as Gabriel hastily flipped over a dozen pastries onto a serving tray. He barely glanced up when Sam walked in, only pausing to sigh in relief at the sight of the bag.

“Thank you,” he breathed, “Alfie’s called in sick, I’ve got Hannah coming in but I’m gonna be pushed this morning,” he said, still managing to sound cheery, though he rolled his eyes when he heard someone knock at the front door. “I might not get the chance to do your lunch today, sorry,” he turned to flick off an oven and starting throwing some bread rolls into a basket. “But I’ll see you after work?”

“Uh...yeah? Sure?” Sam replied, a little confused.

Gabriel leaned in for a kiss, “you’re the best, I’ll see you later,” and with an armful of trays, he passed Sam and carried on working, leaving Sam with the distinct impression he’d been dismissed. He waited for a few minutes, waiting for Gabriel to jump out with a ‘_surprise_!’ but there was nothing. The familiar tinkle of the bell above the door rang out to announce that Gabe’s was open for breakfast and Sam figured he should head for work himself. He waded through the steady queue that had gathered, Gabriel was so busy he couldn’t even spare him his usual trademark smile featuring eyebrow waggle. Sam gave him a wave, regardless and jogged across the road to his office, trying to convince himself that this was a prank, there was no way Gabriel had forgotten, hell would freeze over first, and the sinking feeling in his stomach was entirely unnecessary.

* * *

The sinking feeling did not abate even as the birthday wishes continued to trickle in. There was a steady stream of texts as well as the obligatory social media posts. Bobby had left him a voicemail; the only time of year he ever did so, complete with his standard grumble that it had been too long since, ‘you and that boy of yours have shown your faces,’ which was as close to affection as Bobby ever got. It would always bring a smile to Sam’s face, but not today. He managed to fake a laugh when Jess called him into her office so he could sign something only to find his colleagues gathered around with a rather delicious looking chocolate cake. Jess had made it herself and while she assured everyone that it wasn’t poisonous, someone suggested they sign waivers first which earned them a sharp elbow to the stomach. Sam forced a chuckle, accepting the traditionally over-sized birthday card and a slice of cake that he promised he’d eat later.

Jess didn’t question him, but he felt her eyebrow arch as she handed him a napkin. She had known him too long for him to get away with polite falsity. It was hardly a surprise when Dean appeared in his office ten minutes before his lunch break. With his usual lack of deference, his brother breezed in, dropping heavily into the chair opposite Sam’s desk.

“What’s up?” he asked, without preamble.

Sam pretended to be thoroughly engrossed in an email he’d already read twice, “nothing,” he mumbled, “just busy, y’know.”

“Uh-huh,” Dean said, entirely unconvinced, “listen, Jess sent out the bat-signal during work hours, on your birthday, so what’s wrong?”

With a heavy sigh, Sam tried and failed to meet his brother’s eye, “I think Gabe forgot what today was.”

It was a testament to how ridiculous a thought it was that Dean started laughing despite himself, “no, really, what’s happened?” But his laughter died off rather abruptly when he found Sam glaring at him. “No. No way, it’s a prank,” Dean said, leaning forward in the chair, “there’s no way he’s forgotten. Remember last year, with the banner?” he gestured towards the window, as though he could summon the offending sign, “and the year before that it was...what was it again?”

“The mystery spot.”

“Yeah, exactly, and before that, it was the thing with the tv show experience...y’know, where you met Doctor Sexy, without me,” Dean added pointedly and that at least brought a genuine laugh from his brother. “My point is, there’s no way he’s forgotten. It’s a prank.”

Sam pursed his lips, unconvinced, “he’s really dragging it out if it is.”

“So call him. Tell him it’s bothering you, wait, no, tell him I’m gonna take you out tonight unless he tells you that he’s got something planned. Either way, we’ll go get lunch somewhere way too fancy for the likes of me to be seen at.” As though to emphasis his point he rubbed his hand against his jeans, leaving a trail of grease where it touched. Dean spent so much of his life under cars oil had just become a staple of his biology.

Drumming his fingers against the desk, Sam was surprised to admit his usually emotionally constipated brother had a point. “Alright,” he breathed, “yeah, you’re right. This is ridiculous.” And with a bravado he didn’t quite feel, he reached for his phone, glancing over to make sure there wasn’t a huge queue trailing outside of the bakery before he bothered his boyfriend. There wasn’t, but given that there were just a few minutes until the traditional lunch hour started, his window of opportunity was limited and closing fast.

Gabriel answered on the first ring with a breathless, “Hey Sam,” that tugged at Sam’s heart when he heard how happy his boyfriend was just to hear from him. “It’s been mad over here, you ok?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine Gabe, I just...I was just wondering...” from across his desk, Dean rolled his eyes at his brother’s hesitation, “so...I’ve been kinda bummed that you haven’t said anything about today and I know it’s probably a prank but...are we doing something tonight?”

There was silence from the other end and somehow it was reassuring. It _was_ a prank, he could practically hear the cogs turning while Gabriel decided whether to double down or not. He stifled his disappointment when Gabriel went for it. “Sam, I’m sorry I’ve not been around much today, but I’m not pranking you. I mean, if I am, it’s not going so well for me, unless you think I got Alfie sick just to start the day badly.”

“Ok, Gabe, listen. I’m giving you this chance to just tell me it’s a prank ok, I won’t be mad...”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sam,” Gabriel cut him off, a tinge of annoyance creeping into his tone, “I’m not sure what I’ve done or you think I’ve done but...” Sam heard the tinkle of the bell through the phone and even from here he could see people starting to make their way into the bakery, “can we talk about this later? I’ll see you at home, yeah? We’ll talk then?”

“Actually,” Sam hesitated, “I was going to grab a drink with Dean.”

If this in any way messed with the surprise plans Sam was sure he had, Gabriel didn’t show it, instead he sounded happy to hear it, “great, that’s great! Tell Deano I said hi, I’ll see you later. Love you.”

For a few moments, after Gabriel had ended the call, Sam held onto the phone, staring out the window at the bakery’s growing queue in disbelief. Opposite him, Dean was waiting, his face falling when Sam gave a small shrug, “he says he doesn’t know what I’m talking about and there is no prank.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Dean snorted, “it’s a prank, Sammy.”

“Maybe,” Sam shrugged, a little despondently, but Dean wasn’t having it.

“C’mon, we’re going for lunch. And tonight we’re gonna hit the town and then you can give him hell for forgetting or whatever...”

Sam was on the verge of saying that it wasn’t about that, but Dean was already rising and throwing on his jacket. So he said nothing, closing his laptop, slipping his phone into his pocket and determined to bury his annoyance with Gabriel for the moment. It would keep.

* * *

Sam Winchester had never thought of himself as particularly petty. He could be, sure, couldn't everyone? But that particular flaw in his personality had only ever gotten flexed at his brother in their youth when they’d allowed pranks to escalate between them. It had little application in his adult life and no place at all in his relationship. Until now.

He and Gabriel had exchanged the odd text message since their lunchtime call. If Sam hadn’t known better he’d have thought that there was no prank, that Gabriel was just having a bad day and when he got home and realised what today was he was going to feel awful for missing it and fall over himself to make amends. But Sam _did_ know better and he was less bothered at a forgotten birthday than he was at Gabriel’s insistence on seeing the prank through. And it was that annoyance that carried Sam through his not entirely minor act of pettiness.

Gabriel had gotten home before Sam and even gone as far as to ask if he wanted any clothes laid out so he could change quickly before meeting Dean. But Sam wasn’t swayed and he shot off a non-committal ‘_maybe_’ even though he knew full well he was going from Dean’s house where he had a spare change of clothes waiting for him. That’s not all that was waiting for him, either.

It seemed that Dean was determined either to make Sam forget about his argument with Gabriel or make sure he had a birthday to remember. Perhaps a combination of both. He lived in a relatively large flat with the long-suffering Castiel, yet even _that_ didn’t seem to have the space for them all. There was Garth who greeted Sam with the most affectionate of hugs (naturally), Benny and Andrea sat near the kitchen counter so Benny could serve drinks and Jess was assuring him she’d stay for one even while Dean promised he’d sort her an Uber when she was too drunk to stand. Charlie had brought her latest tabletop offering, Gilda beside her read through the rules and Meg was already arguing with Kevin over which character they were going to start with. Castiel had stepped through the front door, taken in the chaos and immediately left again muttering something about needing more booze even though it would take an entire liquor store to get Castiel so much as tipsy. Jody and Donna had come bearing gifts and of course, Dean was wandering between them all making sure everyone had a beer until Cas came back with the hard stuff.

In the end, they didn't go anywhere, just hanging out at Dean's place. It was nice and it might have been enough to forget all about his annoyance at Gabriel if it wasn’t for the fact that he was in a room full of their friends without him by his side. He at least sent off a text telling Gabriel that he wouldn’t be back to change after all though he’d already had three beers by then so he added a pointed, ‘_this is turning out to be quite the party_.’ It was unnecessary, borderline mean and it made Sam’s gut twist with guilt at least until Castiel returned with what indeed looked like the contents of a liquor store and anything else that happened that night passed in a haze.


	3. A hungover, post-un-average birthday in the life of Sam Winchester

Something was dripping onto the back of Sam’s bare neck. Still, even after it registered it took a long time before he could bring himself to do anything about it. He was asleep, well, unconscious might be a more accurate description. Though there were no pleasant dreams beckoning him to stay, instead there was only oppressive darkness and if he thought about it he’d realise his head throbbed and his mouth was fuzzy.

Another wave of something warm and wet dribbled onto his neck and without aim or finesse, Sam waved his arm in the general direction, missing completely and only managing to slap his palm directly into the puddle that had formed on his skin.

“Loki,” Sam mumbled, his hand trailing through the disgusting mess of its own volition, “Ge’off.”

There was a grunt somewhere beside him and he tried to shift away from the offending corgi, only to land with a muffled thud on the floor. Squinting, he opened his eyes and for a moment was surprised to find that he wasn’t at home in his own bed. This was Dean’s place, specifically Dean’s floor that he had landed on. But hadn’t Loki… he looked over at where he had been lying a few moments before, sprawled across the sofa with several empty beer bottles wedged in the cushions. Classy. Even more classy was Dean, flopped over the sofa cushions with his mouth open, snoring loudly, dribbling a steady stream of drool right to where Sam had been sleeping just a moment before

“Gross,” Sam groaned, rubbing at his neck, succeeding only in spreading the mess further. Not only that but the effort of moving seemed to be altogether too much and he allowed himself to fall back to the floor. It was hard and uncomfortable but it was blessedly still.

He wasn’t sure how long he lay there, drifting somewhere between dozing and staring pointlessly at the ceiling. Somewhere along the line, his body recovered enough for him to find himself fully awake, or at least as fully awake as he could manage right now. Dean had fallen onto the sofa completely and looked as though he were trying to wake up, albeit badly. From above him came sound and movement and Sam managed to open his eyes enough to see Castiel pottering around the kitchen.

“How are you even alive?” Sam mumbled, using the edge of the coffee table to pull himself up, regretting it instantly when pain shot through his head. In the back of his mind, he had pieces of fragmented memories and groaned when he realised he’d agreed to match Cas shot for shot. From the other side of the counter, he heard Cas chuckle and then there came a gentle clink and a warm hand on his shoulder.

“Drink this,” Castiel said, his voice as even as ever, as though he hadn’t been up with the rest of them and drank more than probably most of them combined. Sam didn’t question it, he picked up the glass of whatever was fizzing in front of him and downed it in one spluttering gulp. Cas tapped his shoulder reassuringly, the motion sending another jolt of discomfort through his head and he dropped back against the sofa, elbowing one of Dean’s stray arms out of the way. Whatever Cas had given him was fast-acting at least and the pain in his head was immediately dulled. That allowed him to focus on the gross fuzziness of his mouth, the empty hunger gnawing at his stomach and something else. Something...less physical. Something…

“_Gabriel_,” Sam breathed, suddenly, reaching for his phone, his stomach sinking even lower when he saw half a dozen missed calls and more than a few texts.

> _Hey, are you ok?_

>_ Sam? You coming home tonight?_

> _Let me know where you’re staying, yeah?_

> _I know you’re mad but at least let me know you’re safe?_

> _Seriously, Sam?_

> _I’m calling my brother._

Sam looked over the top of his phone to Castiel who was sipping a cup of coffee with complete nonchalance.

“Hey, Cas, did...did Gabriel call you?” Castiel nodded minutely in response. Sam groaned, “Is he mad?”

“It was more concern than anything else, I don’t think he expected you to stay out all night, but once he knew where you were and what you were doing he calmed down. He asked if you were punishing him...” Castiel grimaced, “but, rather fortuitously my phone cut out at that point before I got drawn into...comforting him,”

“Crap,” Sam mumbled, “he’s gonna be so mad.”

“Screw him,” Dean said with surprising coherency and Sam saw he was pulling himself up, rubbing his eyes. “He forgot your birthday, remember? For some stupid prank.”

In the cold, hungover, light of day, Sam wasn’t too sure. “Maybe...I mean...he’s never let a prank go on that long before, maybe he was just having a bad day?”

A snort from Castiel drew Sam and Dean’s attention and when he realised they were waiting for him to continue he gave a small shrug, “if that’s the longest prank Gabriel has pulled on you, consider yourself lucky. One time he hid all our Christmas presents and gave them back the following Christmas.”

“Ok, but that’s pretty funny-”

“I was seven years old, Dean, it wasn’t funny,” Cas snapped and despite how awful he felt Sam couldn’t help but chuckle. The motion no longer causing ripples of pain, a welcome relief.

“Whatever, he either forgot about your birthday or pretended to, nothing wrong with celebrating it without him if he’s gonna do that.”

“It’s not about that, Dean,” Sam sighed.

He tried to marshall his rather jumbled thoughts when Cas cut across them, “it’s about you asking him to forego his prank in favour of just wishing you a happy birthday?” He spoke with the long-suffering air that told Sam he knew exactly how he felt. But then, Castiel had been dealing with Gabriel's pranks for a long, long time before Sam had come onto the scene, so it was hardly surprising. “It’s about asking him to just stop for a minute and realise that sometimes it’s not funny anymore?”

Sam nodded, quietly, “yeah. That’s about it.”

Dean looked from one to the other before rolling his eyes, “you’re both weird.”

* * *

It was like a nervous flex. The way Sam’s hand would twitch and reach for his phone before he abandoned the motion and left it alone. Sometimes it even made it into his hand before he put it aside. Once he’d even brought Gabriel’s number up, only to cut off the call before it had even started ringing and shoved the phone back into his pocket. Every time he did so Dean would roll his eyes, Castiel would look at him sympathetically and honestly, Sam wasn’t sure which one was worse.

He wanted to send Gabriel a message to apologise, but every time he thought about actually doing it he remembered why he’d gone out without much of a word in the first place and suddenly he didn’t want to apologise anymore. And it wasn’t as if Gabriel was sending him contrite messages in the meantime. So he allowed Dean and Castiel to take him out for brunch, seeing as they’d missed breakfast in an attempt to banish the last remnants of their hangovers. Sam and Dean’s at least, Castiel was, as ever, fine.

But it couldn’t have been put off forever, eventually, Sam was going to have to head home. Feeling somewhere between guilty and justified he let Dean drive him back, pretending that his stomach wasn’t churning and if it was, it was surely the hangover’s fault.

Loki was the first to greet him, naturally. The little dog bounded about his feet, trying to lick his knees as though he hadn’t seen Sam for a year, rather than a day. “Gabe?” he called, once he’d lavished the corgi with enough affection to calm him down.

“In here, Samsquatch,” Gabriel’s voice called from somewhere in the lounge and he didn’t sound nearly as annoyed as Sam thought he might be. He sounded downright cheery, and when Sam stepped into the lounge he saw why.

The ‘_Happy Birthday Sexy_’ banner of last year was hanging across the lounge along with a modest pile of presents beneath it and an impressive birthday cake, ‘_Happy Birthday_’ iced across it in Gabriel’s trademark scroll. The sight of it should have brought a smile to his face, but instead, Sam felt it fall.

“What’s this?”

Gabriel held his hands out expansively, “Happy birthday...” he trailed off a little, “it would have had more impact yesterday but from what Cas said you had a good time anyway.”

“So...you didn’t forget?”

With a scoff, Gabriel managed to look affronted at the accusation, “forget your birthday? Does that sound like me?” he stepped over to hug him but Sam took a step back, frowning.

“But I asked you if it was a prank and you said...”

“Well it wouldn’t have been much of a prank if I’d admitted it, would it?”

Sam shook his head as though the act could make sense of the jumbled thoughts there. “You don’t get it, I told you it was getting me down and gave you the chance to call it off.”

Frowning Gabriel stepped back, as though to assess Sam’s mood, “it was just a prank, Sam. I didn’t think you took birthdays that seriously.”

“It’s not about my birthday,” Sam snapped, “it’s about you not taking it too far and stopping when I ask you too, I-” he hesitated, “I didn’t have a great night, actually. It was nice to see everyone and Dean really made an effort but he only did that to try and cheer me up seeing as I was so bummed out by you not remembering, or pretending not to...whatever.”

They seemed to consider each other quietly for a moment, the only sound the gentle breathing of Loki snuggling down on the sofa near them both.

“So...” Gabriel said, slowly, “you wanna open your presents now?” Sam glared at him, so he held his hands up defensively, and with an ill-timed grin said, “ok, ok I get it. No more birthday pranks-”

“_It’s not about my birthday_,” Sam hissed, cutting him off, surprising them both with how angry he’d gotten. But he broke off suddenly. He was tired, the night before catching up with him and the headache had never truly left him. He wasn’t going to argue over this. Gabriel wasn’t stupid however much he played at it. “Tell you what, give me a call when you’re ready to talk about this like adults?”

A flash of panic crossed Gabriel’s features, but Sam didn’t give in, glad he’d kept his shoes on if only so he could make a pointed exit. “What?... Wait! Sam!” he heard Gabriel call after him, along with a pained growl from Loki who jumped down after him. The door gave a rather satisfying slam behind him, even as Sam felt his gut clench with the finality of the sound.

To his credit, Dean managed to squash down the immediate burst of concern that welled in him when he opened the door to his brother looking more miserable than he’d ever seen him. Sam wasn’t in the mood to be fussed over. He saw the pointed looks exchanged between Dean and Castiel and the last thing he heard before he flopped despondently onto the sofa was the click of Castiel’s bedroom door close as he brought his phone to his ear and muttered, “what have you done now?”


	4. A conversation during a particularly bad week for Gabriel

> _I’m really sorry, Sam._

> _Can we talk about this?_

> _I do get it, you know. I was just being a jerk before._

* * *

> _Sam please talk to me._

* * *

> _Next time I’ll stop if you ask me too, I swear._

> _I love you_

> _I miss you_

Gabriel waited for a moment to see if a reply would come through, but after a few seconds, he pocketed his phone anyway. He glanced up to see Alfie catch his eye and immediately turn away so he wouldn’t get caught staring, with a sigh, he turned back to the counter.

“Is he ever going to talk to me again?”

Castiel added too many sugars to his coffee and rolled his eyes, “it’s been two days Gabriel, even by your standards that’s dramatic.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side.” For that Gabriel earned one of his brother’s iciest glares, which was impressive given that Cas had done nothing more than arch an eyebrow. “Alright, alright, and I appreciate it, I just...I miss him and,” not for the first time his eyes drifted to look out of the window and across the road, to the office where he knew Sam would be. Not that it made any difference save to make Gabriel feel worse. Those particular blinds had been closed since Monday. He’d thought about hanging a banner again, maybe an impressively huge apologetic gesture, ‘_Sorry Sam_,’ but Castiel had talked him out of it, not that he’d been particularly sold on it in the first place. Sam didn’t want grandiose. Sam wanted- Sam _needed_ assurances that Gabriel understood. And Gabriel would love to give them if Sam would let him.

“You know I’d never play a joke on someone again if he asked me to,” Gabriel said, continuing a conversation nobody had been having with him.

Carefully, Castiel put the mug on the counter, adjusting it minutely before he replied, patiently “if you did that, you wouldn’t be you.”

Sighing, Gabriel pretended to busy himself at the till. “I know I’m just-”

“Overthinking everything and assuming this is an all or nothing situation when Sam just needs space before you reach a compromise,” Cas finished the thought for him, though that hadn’t been exactly where Gabriel had been going with it. Accurate though.

He was on the verge of making a joke that his brother had no business being single with such great advice, but settled for, “When did you get so good at this?”

Castiel grimaced, “I have been dealing with the fallout from your pranks since before I knew what a fallout was. It’s a learned skill, I assure you,” he said, dryly, but as much as he could read Gabriel and his situation, Gabriel could read his brother and knew that it was meant with fondness. “Thank you for the coffee.” Castiel’s hand was warm on his shoulder as he reached over and squeezed it.

“Tell Sam-”

“No,” he called back curtly, which made Gabriel chuckle, he hadn’t expected anything less. Besides, Castiel had helped him more than he knew.

‘_Sam just needs space before you reach a compromise_’

Compromise he could do. He just had to show Sam he could compromise.


	5. A better day in the life of Sam Winchester

Sam’s hand hovered over the door to his house, the first time he’d been home since their bust-up but now that he was here he couldn’t quite bring himself to turn the handle. Three things had brought him here. If asked he would point to the first two – that Gabriel had sent him a heartfelt message telling him he could come home and Gabriel would give him space, that and Sam missed him, he missed the house, he even missed being woken up by Loki’s dribble. The thing that had really gotten him out the door, the thing he would never admit to, was how Dean had kicked the door to the spare room in that morning and told him to quit moping and sort himself out. He said he was bored of hearing about Gabriel’s pining and having Sam bring the tone down at home. Sam knew Dean well enough to know that it was all a cover for how much he worried about his brother.

So here he was.

About to go in.

Any minute now.

* * *

He didn’t call out when he eventually managed to get himself through the door. Instead, Sam kicked off his shoes, not fancying another dramatic exit and slipped his jacket onto its hook. Gabriel was in the lounge, trying to look as though he were just flicking through a magazine and definitely not waiting on Sam. He hadn’t noticed the magazine was upside down.

As soon as he stepped into the lounge Loki was bounding about him, jumping up against his leg and yapping happily. The corgi provided a decent buffer between the conversation that no doubt needed to happen, Sam bent down to scratch behind his ears, letting him lick his face, unable to stop grinning into it even as he closed his eyes and let Loki have his way.

It couldn’t prove a distraction forever though and as Loki’s excitement settled into contentment, Sam finally looked up at Gabriel, standing awkwardly beside the couch, shifting his weight as he figured out how they were supposed to greet each other.

“Hey,” Sam breathed and he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty at the tension that visibly eased from Gabriel at such a tiny gesture.

“Hi.”

An awkward silence stretched between them until Gabriel gave a small shrug, “so...I guess I’ll leave you to it. Take the space you need, but,” he hesitated, eyeing Sam as though he wasn’t sure if he should continue, “I am sorry, really and I get it. I do.” Sam was on the verge of saying something, what that would be he wasn’t sure of, but Gabriel held his hands up defensively, “ok, so space. You know where I’ll be when you’re ready.”

“Where will you be?”

And there it was. That trademark Gabriel smile. The one that said he was up to something. “The garage,” he said, innocently, “come on, boy,” he tapped his leg and stepped out, Loki following him, leaving Sam to consider, with a frown, what on earth he was going to be doing in the garage? He heard the door shut behind Gabriel and Loki and he still found he couldn’t quite move.

Gabriel wasn’t going to...was he? He wasn’t going to sleep in the garage?

Was he?

Eleven minutes and thirty-two seconds.

That’s how long Sam managed to hold off his curiosity before he headed for the garage to find out exactly what was going on.

They didn’t use the garage for much. Certainly not for their cars, instead it had been turned over for storage, a second workplace for Gabriel when he wanted to experiment and what they didn’t use was strictly Loki’s realm. He had made quite a comfortable home for himself, dragging his various blankets and cushions into a corner, closely attended by his various toys. Sam was simultaneously amazed and not surprised in the slightest to find Gabriel having made his own little den beside Loki’s, where no doubt he intended to sleep for the duration of their tiff.

The spare blankets were here, along with almost every cushion they had in the house, and Gabriel was lying across them, Loki in his arms, with a smile that said he knew that Sam would come looking. “What are you doing?” Sam sighed, but there was something indulgent in it as he fought back a smile.

Gabriel was grinning, “I thought it best to give you some space. Besides, it seemed appropriate given that I’m in the...” he waited a beat and Sam would not admit to holding his breath, “_doghouse_.”

It was the eyebrow waggle that did it and Sam couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped him, “that was terrible. Even for you, that was bad.”

But he made his way over to Gabriel regardless and Loki gave way so he could lie down next to him. Actually, it was surprisingly comfortable. For a moment they both just looked at each other, as if they were both holding their breath, but then Sam held an arm out and Gabriel went into it willingly and they both breathed easy again.

“I’ve missed you,” Sam sighed as Gabriel said something that sounded suspiciously similar into the crook of Sam’s neck. Sam buried his face into Gabriel’s hair, inhaling the scent that he’d so missed during their time apart; all the lingering smells of the bakery and the coconut shampoo Sam swore Gabriel only used because it complemented the sweet smell of pastry so well. For a little while, they lay there, just revelling in the feeling of being back in each other’s arms before Gabriel drew back and cupped Sam’s face with his hand.

“I really am sorry. I took it too far and I won’t do it again.”

“I know,” Sam said, and he _did_ know. They were going to be ok, he’d known from the moment Gabriel had made him laugh when he’d dropped that terrible ‘doghouse’ line. There was another second of hesitation before Sam leaned in and gave Gabe possibly the most chaste kiss of their entire relationship. It was a brief press of lips, but it was filled with such promise, assurance and of course, forgiveness.

When Sam drew back he couldn’t remember Gabriel ever looking so happy and even though it was still early they both snuggled down into the mass of blankets and held onto each other tight.


	6. Epilogue: The best day in the life of Sam Winchester (so far)

Gabriel was up to something. Sam had an inkling as to what it might be and he hadn’t needed a Stanford education to figure it out. After all, there weren’t that many ways in which you could ask for someone’s ring size discreetly. Especially as Gabriel had enlisted Dean and Castiel to assist, knowing that Sam would notice instantly if Gabe himself tried to obtain it. For some reason, he had assumed the two of them could be discreet.

This had been a mistake on Gabriel’s part. Not that he knew it. At the end of the day, Castiel had handed Gabe a slip of paper with Sam’s ring size written on it and as Sam had been just behind him there had been no time for to ask how he’d managed it. He didn’t know then, that Dean and Castiel had taken Sam out for coffee and his brother had immediately started comparing finger sizes and asked Sam to try on the scant few rings Dean owned, frowning when it transpired none of them fit. Not well, at any rate.

Ever the master of discretion, Dean had rolled his eyes at Cas and said, “well, that’s me out of ideas.” Somehow, Castiel managed to be even less tactful and with all the subtlety and nuance of a brick to the face he took Sam to the jewellers, conveniently next door to the coffee shop where Sam allowed the measurements to be taken with an amused grin. Afterwards, neither Castiel or Dean had mentioned it, the only acknowledgement of it when they came to leave and Dean stopped Sam short, holding his shoulder for a moment. There was a soft look, as though Dean were looking for something in Sam's face and when he had found it he tapped him affectionately and mumbled something about being late.

Days had passed. Weeks. Nothing had come of it yet, but Sam wasn’t worried. The thought that it had been a prank had crossed his mind and swiftly been dismissed. No doubt Gabriel was just waiting for the right moment and knowing him, the right moment would be a day-long event replete with confetti cannons and Vegas showgirls. Almost a month and a half after Sam’s innocent ‘coffee’ with his brother and friend, Gabriel asked Sam to make sure his calendar was clear for the following Saturday. Sam just about managed to squash down the grin he was certain would betray him and instead went for a nonchalant, “sure, Gabe. No problem.”

* * *

Whatever Sam had been expecting, this was not it. Granted, Gabriel dealt in the unexpected and spontaneous, like the impromptu cross country trip to visit as many candy stores as humanly possible over a weekend, or the ‘I want to see every tourist trap in the USA before we die (or I get bored),’ which was shortly followed by, ‘how many pics do you think we could get of us kissing on a rollercoaster?’

In all the time Sam had known Gabriel, and it wasn’t an inconsiderable length, Gabriel had never stepped foot in a museum. He certainly had never gotten them up at the crack of dawn for a five-hour drive to said museum and Sam was on the verge of asking if this was a joke before his eye caught the banner.

‘_American Psychos: See the largest collection of personal effects belonging to America’s most notorious murderers’_

Sam turned, grinning, “seriously?”

Gabriel held his hands out expansively, “Happy Birthday!” though he gave something of a sheepish grin when Sam frowned, “you never did open your birthday presents,” he admitted, flashing two tickets from his pocket.

The height difference between the two was never more pronounced than when Sam launched himself at his boyfriend which is exactly what happened now. He would have lifted him and spun him if Gabriel would have let him, which he most certainly would never do. “You’re the best.”

“Don’t I know it,” Gabriel replied, holding his hand out to take Sam into the exhibition.

* * *

It was amazing. Better than amazing. It was everything and Gabriel wasn’t even pretending to be impressed, whether he found it all interesting or was just happy to be dragged along by Sam’s enthusiasm, it didn’t matter. He was having a great time, and that just made Sam enjoy it all the more. But somewhere between one of Lizzie Borden’s dresses and H.H. Holmes’ deerstalker, Sam realised that his eyes kept glancing back to Gabriel, waiting for him to do something. It had to be today, right?

Though, if Gabriel was building up to something and was feeling nervous or anxious about it in any way, it didn’t show in the slightest. In fact, Gabriel seemed to be regarding Sam almost curiously, following him around with a strange smile playing at his lips, far softer than Sam was used to seeing. Gabriel usually went for cheeky.

“Alright, what?” Sam said, suddenly. He’d been talking about Mary Clement, a poisoner with a penchant for particularly fine hats and while Gabriel had been listening, he’d been doing it with his head cocked to the side with that enigmatic smile. It faltered at the sudden challenge.

“What?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Gabriel seemed genuinely confused, “like what?”

“I dunno, you’ve been doing it since we got here, this weird smile thing going on like you can’t quite believe we’re here. Is this a prank? Are you somehow going to turn this thing that I’m genuinely loving into a prank?”

At that Gabriel cracked a familiar laugh, “ok first of all, I’m impressed you think that I could make this,” he gestured to their surroundings, “a prank. Secondly, I’m just enjoying it is all. I mean, I’m the luckiest guy here, I’ve got my smart and smoking hot boyfriend to tell me everything that’s not written on a card.” He leaned in for a swift peck, “and you’re super sexy when you’re being all smart and stuff.”

“Oh-” Sam didn’t blush but he came mighty close to it when Gabriel laughed again and pulled him in for a chaste hug. Almost chaste, at least, as his hand patted Sam’s ass playfully.

“Now come on, finish your story, did her sister’s family die or what?”

* * *

No ring was produced at the museum, not even when they stopped to admire a case of wedding rings from various historical murder victims. Though that might have been macabre and inappropriate, even for Gabriel. So Sam deliberately stopped looking for the proposal he didn’t know was coming but totally knew was coming. It was easy to focus on enjoying the day for what it was, especially given as it really _was_ enjoyable. Gabriel didn’t even mind when Sam wanted to go back around for another look, just in case they’d missed anything. The look on Gabriel’s face when Sam’s eyes fell on a letter written by Thomas Piper that he’d not seen the first time round made Sam wonder which of them was having the better time.

But there was still no ring.

Not that Sam was looking for a ring, he told himself firmly. Though he couldn’t help the thought spring again in his mind after they’d left and Gabriel waved off Sam’s thanks and announced, “it’s not over yet.”

They went to a vegan restaurant, a fancy one. The kind of place Sam would love to visit but had never gotten around to for a number of ultimately inconsequential reasons and they were shown to their table by a waitress with the most sincere customer service smile Sam could ever remember seeing.

“And what brings you to us today, guys? Just lunch or a special occasion?” she asked, handing them menus clipped to miniature clipboards.

“Special occasion,” Gabriel answered instantly, chuckling when he had to explain to Sam’s confused expression, “your birthday, remember?”

Sam hadn’t remembered and it was probably because of his hesitation that when his dessert came it didn’t have a candle in it, something which Gabriel thought was hilarious. He didn’t stop finding it hilarious even on the long drive back, stifling barely disguised snorts at regular intervals. Every time he caught Sam’s eye he seemed to laugh anew and after a while, Sam fell back on the patented Dean Winchester technique of turning the music louder to drown out what he didn’t want to hear anymore. Of course, Gabriel took that as a challenge and would reach over to get his attention whenever the driving conditions allowed it. Given how long they were driving it was really no surprise that Gabriel won that particular battle of wills and even though Sam offered to switch driving halfway, Gabe refused, and instead completed the journey with one hand firmly clasped around his boyfriend’s, listening to him talk about all the things they’d seen that morning.

Later, Sam would claim it was because he’d been so engrossed in the conversation that he hadn’t noticed that Gabriel hadn’t driven them home. It was only when the engine cut out and Sam came to open the door that he realised they were parked on one of the lesser-used scenic overlooks in their town, surrounded by greenery. When Sam glanced back, Gabriel was checking the time against the sky and muttered, “just in time.”

“For what?”

Gabriel just gestured that Sam should get out of the car and see.

* * *

Sam Winchester was floating. It wasn't his birthday, not in the truest sense but he could not remember ever having such an amazing day and Dean had gone all out on occasion when they were kids. But this, this took every good day Sam had ever had, bottled it and poured it all over him anew.

It was almost midnight when they finally pulled into their driveway, having spent the rest of the evening lying on the hood of Gabriel’s car, watching the sunset, the moon rise and the stars come out over the town in which they lived. Gabriel had produced beer, somehow perfectly cold, having wrapped it in layers of icy insulation within a cooler and snacks, that Sam couldn’t figure out when he’d possibly had the time to bake. There had been no words, which was unusual given that Gabriel was prone to talking up a storm, but this time the silence had only been broken by the rustling of paper bags or the clink of their bottles against the hood.

The sun had set, scorching the sky in hues of red, orange and pink before finally allowing the night sky to bleed through and the first stars to glimmer through what few clouds there were. They watched the street lights come on in a single illumination and watched the busy town beneath them as though they were entirely apart from it.

There had been no words, but there had been glances. Innocent, shy ones that reminded Sam of when they had first met and danced uncertainly around each other. Or at least, when Sam had, Gabriel had never been unsure. Then there were the fond looks, where one of them had seen something in the town that had reminded them of something wonderful they’d shared and they just had to look over, as though to recapture that shared joy. And of course, on more than one occasion Sam had glanced over to find Gabriel looking at him in open adoration, which still managed to make Sam blush.

There had been no words and there had been no proposal, but that was ok. Sam couldn’t even bring himself to worry about it as he kicked off his shoes and hung up his jacket. Gabriel had moved past him and Sam wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, resting his chin on a shoulder, “thank you,” he’d breathed, “today was amazing.”

Gabriel had managed to twist in his grip to kiss him on the cheek before Sam shifted against him, finding his lips and trying to deepen the kiss. He hadn’t expected Gabriel to start chuckling, the rumble vibrating through Sam’s chest. When Sam had drawn back, Gabriel had jerked his head to shift his gaze towards Loki who was sitting by the front door, lead already in his mouth, waiting patiently for his side of the attention.

“Seriously?” Sam had huffed, but with a roll of his eyes (and neck and shoulders) he’d reluctantly moved to take the dog for a short run.

Not that the run detracted from the joy of the day, not with the endorphins doing their thing. And it had been a _really_ short jog. Just once around the block so that Loki had gotten some fresh air and it didn’t hurt Sam to have a quiet moment to reflect. Had he been expecting a proposal? Yes. Was he disappointed that one hadn’t come? Not really, he realised. Not when today had been so perfect. He couldn’t have stopped grinning if he’d tried and he was still grinning when he and Loki stumbled through the door, hardly surprised to find that Gabriel already in bed, tucked up to the chin as though it were possible he was cold.

Sam stripped off his clothes and made to pull the covers back but Gabriel called out, “nuh uh uh, as much as I love it when you’re hot and sweaty you need a shower.”

Rolling his eyes, Sam gave his side of the covers a little tug but Gabriel held them tight, “I’m serious Sammich, you’re gross, go shower.”

“Seriously Gabe, it’s almost one am!”

“One am and you’re still gross, now go clean up and if you’re good maybe I’ll get you dirty again,” he said with an exaggerated wink.

Exasperated and with one hundred percent less desire to get into the bed in the face of such an appalling joke, Sam let the covers fall and headed for the shower. It was the fastest shower on record and actually, it was a good idea, he thought as he let the day rinse off him, leaving him feeling surprisingly relaxed for the sleep he was about to get.

Seeing as he was only about to get back into bed, Sam didn’t see the point in doing anything more than wrapping a towel around his waist, his bare feet sinking softly into the heavy carpet that led to the bedroom. Just as he was stepping over the threshold, Loki caught his attention, sitting at the end of the hall with something in his mouth.

“Whatcha got there, boy?” Sam called, softly, hoping not to disturb Gabriel who was almost certainly asleep by now despite his amorous promises. Whatever it was, Loki didn’t drop it and Sam almost groaned as he padded over to him, “C’mon, I just wanna go to bed, what did you do?”

As Sam approached, Loki pushed himself up, wagging his tail and leaning forward with whatever it was. Obediently, when Sam reached out, Loki dropped it into his hand and Sam felt his heart stop beating at the sight of it. A small box.

A small velvet box.

A small velvet box that could only contain one thing.

And with barely a conscious thought to do so, Sam swallowed hard and opened it.

Nothing.

The breath that escaped him was long and slow, as though his brain had suddenly determined, ‘oh wait, Sam needs to breathe’ and rebooted the system. Loki licked his fingers and toddled off, probably to his space in the garage while Sam half knelt in the air, his calves protesting as he held the empty ring box.

He was almost surprised to find that his thoughts weren’t a muddled mass of confusion. Instead, he just held the empty box wondering what on earth it meant, but his mind was hardly racing to offer him explanations. Maybe, because he’d been so focused on that one thought or perhaps it was because he decided at that moment to relieve his legs of their strain and stretch them out that Sam didn’t notice movement behind him.

The first Sam knew that Gabriel was not, as he thought, asleep, was when he turned around on the spot to find him on one knee, holding out in his hand a small band of yellow and rose gold. Nothing that Sam would have chosen for himself. Nothing that Sam would even have thought to have chosen for himself. It was perfect.

There had been several moments that would have made a pretty proposal story. There had been the restaurant, the museum and of course, a beautiful evening spent watching the stars from the hood of the car. And yet, Gabriel, ever the trickster, had chosen this moment; with Sam half wrapped in a towel and starting to get cold in the hallway having pretended to have been in bed all this time. Of course, Gabriel was wearing a tuxedo. Of course, he was.

“Is this a prank?” Sam managed to choke out when he found his voice. Because what else could it be given the day they’d had?

But instead of being offended, faux or otherwise, Gabriel only laughed, a deep and familiar sound that filled Sam with warmth to hear it and it brought him back to reality with a pleasant landing. “Would I do a thing like that?” he grinned and then, without any hesitation because Gabriel never hesitated, he added, “so what d'you say? How’d you feel about putting up with me forever?”

The empty ring box fell to the ground as Sam stepped forward, though his brain hadn’t quite determined whether he was going to lift Gabriel to kiss him or drop to his knees to hug him so the result was a clumsy grab to his lapels as Sam almost headbutted him trying to kiss him while dropping his head to his shoulder to hold him, but Gabriel didn’t mind. He laughed and would swear to anyone who ever asked that that’s why his hand was shaking.

His hand wasn’t shaking when he slipped the ring onto Sam’s finger, where it fitted perfectly and he still didn’t know how Dean and Castiel had gotten the size without tipping Sam off but he was glad they’d managed it. Then there were kisses of every kind. Quick, chaste ones. Long, slow ones. The kind that promised lifelong adoration, now with the ring to prove it and the kind that could barely be contained because they were both grinning so hard.

And between each press of lips there was a word, breathless but reverent; “_Yes_.”

Because what other answer could there have been?


End file.
